


Companionship.

by Danosaur



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: M/M, Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-25 08:36:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7525864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danosaur/pseuds/Danosaur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[ Luvdisc ]<br/>It lives in warm seas. It is said that a couple finding this Pokémon will be blessed with<br/>eternal love. Its heart-shaped body makes it popular. In some places, you would give a Luvdisc to someone you love.<br/>--<br/>Dan asks Phil to go with him to the park in the hopes of evolving his Eevee into an Umbreon, but he gets a surprise (or three) and a new perspective on love instead. (a pokémon au phanfic)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Companionship.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to Cam and Josie for reading and editing<3 Feedback is really appreciated! I love constructive criticism especially, as i am always trying to improve  
> \--  
> i wrote this before Phil said to Dan "you're my pikachu" in the pokemon go video and wowowow i wish i could've worked that in there somehow  
> \--  
> tumblr link: http://daisukicutie.tumblr.com/post/147626630046/companionship-a-pok%C3%A9mon-au-phanfic  
> \--  
> Edit: i rewrote the ending

Dan Howell’s Eevee, Luna, napped lazily in the late evening moonlight, exhausted after a long day of battling. Training days were always full of excitement, praise, affection, and above all, love, which made it a favorite for both Dan and all of his pokémon. No matter if Luna won the battles or not, Dan always made sure to tell her how proud he was of her for giving her best effort-- and she always did, one hundred and ten percent of the time.

He had called up his best friend, Phil Lester, and asked if he wanted to "hang out at the park," and by then they had been friends for long enough that Phil knew it really meant "back-to-back pokémon battles until either our pokémon get tired or we get bored." They had a pretty good system going; whenever either of them wanted to train any of their pokémon, they would come to their local park. They could always count on the park to provide them plenty of open space for their battles to take place comfortably. Often, a crowd of small children would gather around Dan and Phil to watch the battles unfold. Awe was always plain on their small, wide-eyed faces as they considered the strength of the pokémon, the communication and skill it took to coordinate attacks, and the air of responsibility that always accompanied being in care of a pokémon. 

Dan looked over at Luna's sleeping form, pressed up against Phil's also snoring Growlithe, Striker, a wave of fondness washing over him. He would never admit it, but Luna was his favorite of his five pokémon. His mum had rescued her from an abusive trainer who most likely had never visited a pokémon center in their life. She was very skittish when she first made their house her home, but Dan was very little and his tiny hands were gentle against her tawny fur. His mum hadn't been much for pokémon battles, his father was always too busy with work to focus on anything else, and his brother was even younger than him, so Luna hadn't had much training. But they all loved her and treated her like just another family member, and she hadn't experienced true pain ever since.

When Dan was finally old enough to understand how pokémon battles worked, he begged his parents to let him battle with Luna. He was told no time and time again, and being the little eleven-year-old rebel he was, he had disobeyed them. Sneaking her out had proved difficult, as she didn't have a pokéball, but by then she was completely trusting of Dan and followed him without hesitation. He brought her to the playground with the intention of challenging the first trainer he made eye contact with. Unfortunately for him, that trainer happened to be completely unforgiving with his huge Gyrados, and before the first move was even shouted, it was painfully obvious that Dan didn't stand a fighting chance. 

Once Luna had realized what was happening, she had made a terribly pained noise, then ran away from the Gyrados into the surrounding forest. She had presumably remembered her old trainer and became terrified that Dan would mistreat her in the same way. He regretted his decision several hours after the incident, when he was lost in the forest still searching for her.

It wasn't until several years later that Dan had tried to coerce her into battling again. And this time he knew better; he knew he needed to gently ease her into it instead of just throwing her full force into a battle. 

Now, at the age of sixteen, the two of them were inseparable, and they had grown stronger through each other. Dan had decided it was finally time he evolve his Eevee, and after careful and thorough consideration, he decided on an Umbreon. He had spent enough time researching to figure out that in order to evolve Luna into an Umbreon, Dan needed to train her as often as possible outside when the moon was out. 

Phil was also working on training Striker to evolve into an Arcanine. His parents hadn't let him have a pokémon until he was sixteen, and Striker had remained his only pokémon for the next two years. Phil had always been jealous of Dan's Eevee, ever since he had wandered into Phil's life at the age of fourteen. Literally. Dan had been trying to catch the Fletchling that was playing in the Lester family's fountain-turned-birdbath. So Phil had found himself in his pjs shouting at a boy for mindlessly wandering into his backyard at a quarter past midnight. From first impressions alone, Phil could tell that while Dan was a tad bit crazy, he certainly was determined and serious about being a pokemon trainer. 

"Dan?," Phil whispered from where he was lying in the grass next to Dan. The two of them had been just as tired as their pokémon when they decided to call it quits. They were good opponents for each other, and almost equally as skilled, so battling always took a lot out of them. both Dan and Phil were relentless, because if one of them won by a landslide, the other would make fun of him for it until he was able to redeem himself.

"Hm?" Dan tore his gaze from Luna and looked back up into the night sky. It was a full moon that night, so the park was alight with it's natural glow. Although the streetlamps were a great distance away, he could see out of the corner of his eye that Phil had turned to look at him. 

"Oh. I thought maybe you'd fallen asleep too," Phil mumbled.

"Nope. I've just been watching the stars."

"They're really pretty tonight, huh?"

"Tonight? They look the same every night." 

"Yeah, but it's a full moon. I don't think I've ever been outside during a full moon before. Do you think that'll help with Luna?" Phil sighed, shifting so he could look at Dan. He spoke again before Dan had a chance to answer. "Are we going to stop doing this once she evolves?"

"Doing what? Battling? Phil, you're the best battling partner I've ever had. You're almost as strong as me now. Almost."

"Hey!" Phil frowned, sitting up and pouting. He folded his arms in protest, raising his voice slightly. "You've been doing this for waay longer than me! So it's not a fair comparison, and you know it!"

Dan giggled, sitting up too. "Shhh. Be quiet, Phil, or you'll wake them. I don't want to stop doing this if you don't." 

"I don't."

Dan nodded, unsure if Phil could see him. He layed back down and closed his eyes. "I think nighttime battles are the best; I'm pretty much a Hoothoot in that respect."

Phil snorted. "And you're just as round."

"Hey!" Dan leaned over to punch Phil lightly on the shoulder. "You know, it's not okay to be mean to me just because you're jealous that I'm better than you."

"I'm not jealous...," Phil pouted again. "You only beat me because Luna found some berries, alright? And we both know that's cheating."

"That's not cheating. She found them on her own. Plus, you never said we couldn't use berries," Dan rolled his eyes. Phil could be so difficult sometimes, and he was such a sore loser. He always made up the rules after he had lost. "It would help if you caught another pokémon. I dunno why you insist on only having one."

"We've been over this.... I just want to focus on training Striker right now. He's going to be the strongest Arcanine this side of the Kalos region has ever seen!" 

"Yeah, okay, sure. But you know we wouldn't have even met if I hadn't caught Icarus, so I still say you should try to catch a wild pokémon eventually." 

"Why? It's not like I need to meet someone new. I already have you." 

Dan rolled his eyes at his ebony-haired companion. "You cheesy git."

"Hey, that's me," Phil smiled. A comfortable silence fell between the two of them as they just stared up at the sky. It didn’t last for long, Phil’s sigh being the thing to break it. "Dan, I want to show you something." 

"What is it?" Dan tilted his head, studying Phil and trying to figure out what it was. 

"I can't show you here." Phil abruptly stood up, and Dan frowned up at him. He looked back at Luna and Striker. 

"Phil, they're sleeping...."

"We can leave them here. It won’t take too long, Dan. They won't wake up before we get back. Pleease?" Phil begged.

“We should really take them with us." Dan stood up reluctantly. He had been comfortable laying next to Phil and watching the stars. He was too exhausted now to go chasing an adventure. “Luna’ll follow me, and Striker can go in his pokéball--” 

"NO!" Phil shouted, causing Dan to give him a strange look. "I mean, that'll just wake him. And you're just taking up more time."

"Well, quite frankly I'm surprised they haven't woken up from all your shouting yet. Okay, yes, let's go."

Phil smiled, proud of himself for persuading Dan so easily. Today had been a perfect day, and he wanted to get this over with before he chickened out for the dozenth time. The soft moonlight washed over their pale skin as they walked. Dan was feeling anxious about leaving his pokémon alone for so long, but it was nothing compared to how Phil's insides were churning, Butterfrees dancing viciously in his stomach. 

The walk was rather short. They had arrived at the boat dock, a popular fishing spot for trainers, breeders, and fishermen alike. In fact, it was where Dan had caught his fifth and most recent pokémon, a standard Magikarp. He was thinking about trading him or giving him away to one of the small children that lived in his neighborhood, because it was literally the lamest pokémon. It was just a goldfish, for Arceus' sake, and what did it say about him if he owned one? 

Dan gave Phil a confused look, still having no idea what was happening. 

Phil sat down on the edge of the dock, his feet swinging back and forth slightly out of a nervous habit. Most people just chewed their nails or stuttered when they were nervous, but Phil was always a bit different. Dan copied him, their knees touching as they sat side by side. He looked up at Phil expectantly. Dan hated the silence they had fallen into; it felt tense and he wasn’t sure why. Was something wrong?

"So... Er... I might have followed your advice and caught another pokémon...." Phil appeared to be blushing as he looked down into the sparkling water. The moon was shining bright in its reflection, and although it was dark, Dan could still make out a few of the native water pokémon swimming just beneath the surface.

Phil reached for the lone pokéball hooked on the belt loop of his jeans. Dan grew even more confused. He was used to seeing Phil with only one pokéball, but that was because he only had pokémon. Where was Striker's? 

"That's great! Is it a water pokémon, then?" Dan said enthusiastically. He felt proud of himself that he had finally worn down on Phil’s stubbornness, as it was no small feat. Phil never just ‘put his foot down.’ He planted both his feet firmly to the ground and gave a daring look to the universe as if to say, ‘try me.’ But now he was acting timid, his knuckles white from the tight grip of his fingers around the pokéball. 

"Y-yeah," Phil held the pokéball close to the water with his outstretched arm. Dan watched with curious eyes as he pressed the white button and the pokéball opened.

Dan gasped. He was expecting a Goldeen or a Horsea or something. Not a pale pink Luvdisc. 

He tried to cover up his gasp with a cough, giving Phil a firm-but-friendly pat on the back. “These are kinda rare, right? I haven’t seen them around this beach, anyway.” it was better than his lame Magikarp, to say the least. Dan was a tad jealous and extremely curious how Phil had managed to catch a Luvdisc. 

“Yeah I… Remember when I went on that trip with my family? I caught her then.” 

Dan remembered. Phil was gone for roughly two weeks, and Dan had missed him terribly. When Dan had noticed the familiar minivan pull into Phil’s yard, he had run out of his house faster than he had ever ran (even counting the time he was chased by an Ursaring). Phil’s family went on trips frequently, but this was the first time Dan had truly felt like something was missing when Phil was gone. 

That was about a month ago, though. Why hadn’t Phil told him about it until now? They had seen each other several times since then; he had had several opportunities to tell Dan. He felt a pang of disappointment that Phil had hid this from him. They told each other everything. Nevertheless, Phil was showing him now, and it seemed like it was very important to him. So Dan simply smiled. “Yeah, I remember. So, does she have a nickname? I always nickname mine. Even my stupid Magikarp.”

Phil giggled, rolling his eyes and swatting at Dan’s bicep. He was always doing that, but Dan didn’t mind. “You really shouldn’t call your pokémon stupid. If you work hard at it, he could be a Gyrados some day.”

“Well, I don’t want to work hard just for a stupid Magikarp,” Dan retorted, making sure to put extra emphasis on ‘stupid,’ earning another push from Phil. “Gyrados are overrated anyway.”

“Why do you still have him, then? If you’re just going to abuse him, then I’ll take him.”

“I’d NEVER abuse a pokémon, Phil. You know this,” Dan frowned, offended. Phil knew all about Dan’s struggles with Luna, and that they were caused because of her previous trainer’s neglect. “Would you really want him?” 

“Verbal abuse, Dan. And yes, I would. Striker needs a friend.” 

“Luna’s his friend…,” Dan pouted. 

“Well, yes, but he only sees her when I see you.”

“Then we should see each other more,” Dan shrugged. It seemed like the logical solution.

Phil blushed, looking away from Dan and instead at the Luvdisc. She was swimming tiny, happy laps, not straying too far from Dan and Phil. It would take her a while to get used to the new environment. “Yeah... I wouldn’t mind that.” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “What’d you name your Magikarp, then?” 

“Flounder,” Dan answered.

“What?! Seriously? Like ‘The Little Mermaid’?”

“Mhm.”

“That’s the worst name I’ve ever heard,” Phil threw his head back and laughed, his tongue poking out between his teeth. 

“Oh yeah?” Dan crossed his arms. “Do you have a better one, then?”

“Yeah. I’m renaming him… Thor!”

“What? No! He’s a Magikarp, not a freaking Pikachu.”

Phil scoffed. “It’ll make more sense when he’s a Gyrados.” 

“Not really. He’ll still be a water pokémon.”

“But a cool one. One worthy of the name.”

“Ugh. And I thought Striker was a bad name.”

“Striker is a perfect name, thank you, Mister named-my-soon-to-be-Umbreon-Luna.”

“Hey! That was her name when we got her. And it’s fitting. In what world is Thor a good name for a Gyrados?”

“In this one.”

“Yeah, well, at least I didn’t put a collar on my pokémon.”

“Uhh Louise put a collar on hers too.”

“Louise has a Furfrou, Phil. And she never battles with him. Anyway, you’ll have to wait until we go back to the park for me to give him to you; his pokéball is in my bag. Not all of us can be as fortunate as you to be able to carry our one pokéball on our belt. Is that all you wanted to show me? Can we go back now?”

Phil shook his head. He looked down at Luvdisc like he forgot she was there, his eyes widening and his blush returning fully pink to his cheeks.

“What? What is it, Phil?” Dan placed a gentle hand on Phil’s back. Phil looked up at Dan’s hand, then into his eyes. While Dan’s were filled with genuine concern for his worried friend, Phil’s held a mixture of bashfulness and anxiety. “Is something wrong with… Er… what’d you say you named your Luvdisc?”

“I… I didn’t.”

“What?”

“I didn’t name her… because she’s not mine.”

“What…?” 

“Dan… do you know what a Luvdisc is?”

“Well, yeah, of course. It’s a pokémon?”

“But do you know what they represent?” 

“They… represent something?”

Phil cleared his throat, looking back down at her. “My mom told me…” he took a deep breath, then spoke really fast. If he didn’t get it out all at once, he would never say it. “My mom told me when I was little that a couple who finds a Luvdisc will be blessed with eternal love. And… And in some cultures they give Luvdiscs as a gift to the person they love. I, uh, I saw her when I was at the beach and I thought of you… Martin laughed at me when I said I wanted to catch her, but then he helped me…. She’s yours now. If you want her, that is….” 

Phil’s voice trailed off and Dan blinked. Phil had thought of him when he was away? All that time he had spent missing Phil, Phil was thinking of him too? And now, he was giving him this… this pokémon that represented… love? 

Was that what was missing when Phil was gone? Love...? Whatever it was, he felt it return the instant Phil opened the backseat door of the minivan and ran out into Dan’s arms. Dan had said something about Phil forgetting to pack his sunscreen, because his soft skin was noticeably sun kissed. Phil laughed and excitedly told Dan he wanted to show him something…. 

It ended up being one of those silly keychains with a name on it that you can’t go to a souvenir shop without buying. “‘Philip’ with only one l! I didn’t know other people spelled it like that, but it’s close enough, right? Hey Dan, does it ever bother you that someone else has your name?”

Dan was really surprised and a tad disappointed that it was just a keychain, but he had smiled and tried to match Phil’s level of happiness all the same. Although Phil was generally a peppy person, he had sounded really excited when he told Dan he had to show him something, and he couldn’t believe that Phil was dorky enough to get that excited over something as small as a keychain. He had worn it on his belt loop every day since then though, so it was obvious he genuinely did like it. Dan realized then that it was missing today, and that should have made it obvious to him that it wasn’t Striker’s pokeball he was carrying. 

“Um, m-- maybe we could do like a trade? You give me Thor and you can have my Luvdisc…?” Phil stuttered. Dan looked up, realizing simultaneously that he had zoned out and not responded, and that his hand was still resting on Phil’s back. He didn’t know what his expression was, but he could feel himself obviously blushing. He moved his hand and placed it flat on the wooden dock. “I… you know what? You can just forget everything I said. I just said it because I wanted your Magikarp and--”

Suddenly, Dan leaned towards Phil and softly pressed his lips against Phil’s, his sentence still hanging half-formed in the midsummer night’s air. It was a blatant lie, and Dan knew it. He didn’t want to hear Phil lie just because he was scared of Dan’s response, especially after hearing him pour his heart out to Dan. Dan just hoped his kiss could explain his feelings for Phil well enough for Phil to know he felt the same. And of course he would keep the Luvdisc. 

They only broke apart when they heard a strange sound coming from deep within the nearby forest. It was unfamiliar, but Dan could definitely tell it was made by a pokemon. 

“What was that?” Phil asked, his nose still close enough to touch Dan’s. 

“I don’t know… I think we should probably go back now.” 

“You think?” Phil scoffed, standing up. Dan did the same. “Dan, what if it’s a Beedrill or something? You know how scared I am of bug pokemon.” 

Dan turned his head to look at Phil as he spoke and saw the flames of trauma flickering in his deep blue eyes. He reached for Phil’s hand, interlocking their fingers and giving a reassuring squeeze. Phil’s shoulders untensed. “It’ll be fine; we just need to get back to Striker and Luna before whatever it is finds us.... We’re really not supposed to go out at night without our pokemon…. It’s dangerous.”

“Right, yeah,” Phil turned around and brought the Luvdisc back into her pokeball. They broke off at a run towards the park, only to find it completely empty. Dan picked up his untouched bag and looked at Phil. Where were their beloved pokemon??

They heard the cry again, this time it was closer than before. “Phil…?”

“STRIKER!! STRIKER, WHERE ARE YOU??” Phil shouted. Though Striker had only been Phil’s companion for two short years, their bond was almost as equally as strong as the one Dan shared with Phil. Just hearing Phil’s voice as he was on the verge of crying was devastating to Dan; he couldn’t imagine how Phil would feel if he lost Striker forever.

“Phil,” he squeezed his hand again, a bit surprised himself to find that their fingers were still intertwined; “I’m scared of losing them too, but I’m even more scared of whatever pokemon made that noise. Striker knows his way back home, right? I’m sure if we go home, they’ll turn up eventually….” 

Dan bit his lip. Despite his reassuring words towards Phil, he was actually really worried. One of them had to be the calm one, though, and despite Phil being two years his elder, it always ended up being Dan.

“I-- I dunno about that, Dan. Striker gets really irrational and impulsive when he’s scared. He can’t think straight.”

“Were you just describing yourself?”

“I’m being serious, Dan. What if that other pokémon hurt him? We need to find him….”

“Phil, we have no idea where he went.”

“We have to try, though. He’s my whole world, Dan. If you were missing, I’d look for you.”

“I know…. And I’m worried about Luna too. But they probably just wandered off somewhere when they realized we were gone….”

“If you won’t help me, then I’ll just look by myself!” Phil grumbled, shaking Dan’s hand away and taking a few strides forward. 

“Wait, Phil--!” The sound of the unknown pokémon’s howl cut Dan off, causing Phil to freeze in place and tense up his shoulders.

There was another cry to match it. Striker! Phil ran in the same direction, calling his name over again. It didn’t take long for the Growlithe to come running through the trees into Phil’s arms. He buried his face in his tawny-orange fur, mumbling soft words that Dan couldn’t hear.

“I don’t wanna say I told you so, but….”

Phil pulled away from Striker, holding him at an arm’s length and looking into his furry face. “Where’s Luna, Striker?”

They heard the intimidating call again, and out came a bewildered-looking Sylveon.

Dan froze. He blinked after staring at the Sylveon for a considerable amount of time. "...Luna?"

The pale-pink-and-white creature cried out again, this time more softly, then padded over to Dan. She lowered her head in front him, cowering as if she'd been scolded. She knew something was wrong too.

"Dan...," Phil mumbled, dropping his hands from Striker's fur and frowning. He stood suddenly, then placed a hand on the small of Dan's back. 

"But you're... I don't understand." Dan frowned. This wasn't supposed to happen. He looked at Phil. "What did I do wrong?" 

Phil shrugged. "Maybe she just wasn't meant to be an Umbreon?" 

"B- but...," Dan stuttered, trying to procure the correct words. "We've been training her in the moonlight for weeks."

Luna lowered her head further, her ears drooping. She must've felt ashamed, like she'd failed Dan. It was how she acted each time she'd lost a battle. 

"Oh no, no!" Dan reassured her. He dropped down to his knees and pulled her into his arms. She was thinner and taller now, but hugging her still felt familiar. He wasn't just hugging a Sylveon; he was hugging his Luna. 

"I'm just so glad you're safe. I didn't realize you were what scared us," Dan laughed. How ironic. 

"I read somewhere that Umbreon's evolve from friendship, but Sylveon's evolve from love," Phil offered. "Luna really loves you, Dan."

Dan felt his heart swell. It wasn't what he had originally wanted, but that didn't matter anymore. He pulled away from her and took in her soft appearance. 

"You know what? I can work with this. She'll look quite aesthetically pleasing next to my Luvdisc."

"What? You mean you'll keep her?" Phil gaped.

"Of course I'll keep her, Phil!" Dan raised his voice, offended. "I've had her since I was little. I'm not just going to throw that away because--"

"No," Phil cut Dan off, his laugher bubbling over. "No, I meant the Luvdisc."

"O-oh," Dan blushed. "You said I could have her, didn't you?"

Phil nodded, his eyes sparkling, smiling. "Have you thought of a name yet?"

Dan looked up into the stars, thinking it over. "Could I name her Phillip? So even when we're not together, you're still with me?" He replied, thinking about how deeply he had missed Phil when he was away on holiday. "...Or is that too cheesy?"

Phil giggled again. "No, it's perfect. Though, I'm pretty sure Phillip is a boy's name."

Dan rolled his eyes. "Shut up. You're naming a Magikarp Thor."

"Damn right." 

Dan turned back to Luna, looking into her watery blue eyes. They were so similar to Phil's that he felt like he'd spent an eternity looking into them already, even though she had just evolved. Was this what love looked like? Watery blue eyes and a timid expression, a fear of disappointing him? Dan decided then that anything that came from love was worth keeping.


End file.
